Drive mechanism for washing machines and the like



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 G. W. RUSCOE DRIVE MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 7, 1950 @nl s c vf. :s Aa m L n @W I I A n n W 5 I W. N Va ...l/ @WV/W G Sept. 9, 1952 Sept 9, 1952 G. w. RUSCOE 2,609,691

DRIVE MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 7, 1950 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 I n verw c or-l: Garnet W. Rus'ce,

" His Att Carney.

exceedingly complex and expensive. plexity arises from the fact that during the Patented Sept. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRIVE MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE General Electric Com New York 1 Claim.

a unidirectional rotation drive. and :an oscillatory y rotation drive. l 1 The drive mechanisms currently employed 1n `washing machines which wash clothes and then pany, a. corporation of Y Application september 7, 195o, serial No. 183,611

partially dry them by centrifugal extractionare The mwashing cycle the agitator must move in oscillatory rotation to stir the clothes about in th-e water, and during the extraction cycle the basket must move in unidirectional rotation at a high speed.

` Therefore, an important object of myV invention is to provide a low-cost mechanism for driving a Washingmachine which employs an agitation cycle and a centrifugal extraction cycle..

In carrying out my invention in one embodiment thereof, a washing machine is provided Vwith a clothes-receiving basket, an agitator, and

a motor for driving a first shaft in continuous rotation. A two-gear mechanism cooperating with a rocker arm and link mechanism converts the rotation of the first shaft. to oscillatory rotation and transmits the oscillatory rotation to a second shaft. A clutch mechanism selects either the rotating or oscillating mode of operation and transmits the selected mode of operation through a third shaft to the agitator disposed within` the washing machine basket. During continuous rotation, a drive dog on the bottom of the agitator engages a similar drive dog onA the bottom of `the basket and causes the basket to follow th-e agitator in rotation.

For additional objects and advantages and for a better understanding of my invention, attention is now directed to the following description and the accompanying drawing and also to the appended claim in which the feature of my invention believed to be novel are particularly pointed out. Fig. l is a sectional view in elevation of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. l taken along lines 2-2 and showing a plan view of the mechanism for converting unidirectional rotation to oscillatory rotation; Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. l taken along line 3 3 and showing a plan view of the centrifugal clutch mechanism employed in my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the shaft I is mounted vertically for rotation in the washer casing 2. Shaft II is driven in rotation by the motor 3 through a centrifugal clutch mechanism and a system of belts and sheaves or the like.

The centrifugal clutch mechanism slips `when the mechanism is initially put into the .spi-npdsition, thereby allowing the motor to accelerate the basket to full spinning speed withoutbeing overloaded. The pins 4 and 5 -are mounted on pulley 6 diametrically opposite one another. The clutch shoes 'I and 8 are pivotally mounted on pins 4 and 5 respectively. As pulley 6 is rotated about shaft I,` clutch shoes 'I' and 8`arerevolved about shaft I and pivot labout their respective axes at the same time. `As shoes l and 8 pivot about their axes, they are thrown against clutch drum 9, and the forces of friction between the clutch shoes and drum 9 drag drum 9 in rotation wth pulley E. Shaft Iis keyed to drum 9.

The thrust bearing II] transmits the weight of shaft I and the mechanism attached to shaft I to washer casing 2. The shaft I I is disposed concentrically around shaft I. The unidirectional rotation of shaft I is converted to oscillatory rotation and transmitted to shaft I`l by the pinion gear I2 pinned to shaft I, the spur gear I3 rotatably mounted r on the 'stud I4, i the pin`^I5 mounted on the face of `gear"|3,ithe link' I6, the rocker arm l'l pivotallymuntedlonthstud I8, the link I9, and-the 'armV 2ll-securedtoshaft II. The distance between stud I4 and pin'I5 is controlled by theamplitude of oscillationfof` the `.shaft II desired. The clutch plate 2|, driven in oscillatory rotation by shaft I I is secured to the upper end of shaft 'I I and is 4suitably journaledin housing 22. The clutch member 23 is secured to the upper end of `shaft I and is driven incon- -tinuous rotation by shaftl. f

`Pinion gear I2 is driven in rotation by shaft I and in turn drives spur gear I3 in rotation. The end of link I6 pivotally mounted on pin I5 is caused to follow pin I5 as it is revolved about stud I4. Link I6 causes rocker arm I1 to oscillate about stud I 8. The oscillations of rocker arm I'I are transmitted to shaft II through link I9 and. arm 20.

The clutch member 24 is slideably mounted on shaft I between clutch members 2I and 213. The shift lever 25 is supported in the collar device 26. Shift lever 25 is provided with the offset portion 2l to engage clutch member 24 in the groove 28 on the circumference of clutch member 24. The longitudinal position of clutch member 24 with respect to shaft I is changed by rotating the lever 25. Pinned to lever 25 is a ball and detent mechanism 29 which bears on the end surface of collar 26. Detents are provided in the end surface of collar 26 to hold lever 25 in posiyscrew AIlll. clothes andthewater in basket S'Lduring the .non for the neutral, the agitare, and tile reamev modes of operation.

In Fig. 1, clutch member 24 is shown engaging clutch member 23 for the rotate mode of operation. As shown in Fig. 1, the drive dogs on the upper surface of clutch member 24 engage the drive vdogson-'the lower surface of clutch member :23, and clutch member 24 is thereby driven in rotation. If lever 25 is turned through one quarter of a revolution, clutch member24 is moved down shaft I to the neu.tral position. If lever 25 is turned another quarter offa revolution in the same direction, clutch member 24' is moved further down shaft I`. T-he drivedogs on the lower surface of clutch lmemberld engagel the drive dogs on the upper surface of clutch member 2|, and clutch memberd is thereby driven in oscillatory rotation.

An inverted cup-shaped member 39 is Asecured to clutch member 24 and engages the shaft 3I cured tothe bearing 39. and the shaft 3| by a set The vanes 4I on agitator -38 stir `the gitate cycle.

During the continuous rotation cycle, the drive 110g nyonthe bottom of `agitator 38 engages the 1 drive dog 43 `on 'the bottom of .basket -3'l and Lcausesgbaslret-3`I to Yfollow agitator 33. :At the ,.ybeginning of Athe -agitatefcycla dog 42 engages .dogr43 and drives .basketS'I to such a vposition that gdogsfllZand '43 do not engage during the subse- -qtlent oscillations of-agitator 39.

j 'Itffwill beseenthat aslongas motor 3 is drivingfshaft I, clutchv member 23 is driven continu- .ously'in unidirectional rotation and .that clutch fmember ZI is driven continuously in oscillatory ,'rotation. ',.When lever25 is rotated, clutch memf-berflis moved longitudinally along shaft I to 4engageeitherrotating clutch member ,23 -or os- .,cillating clutch member 2I. V,oscillating motion is transmitted through in- The rotating or verted cup-shaped membershait `I,zand bearlng' 39. to agitator 38.

While the present invention has been described by reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration of the principles involved and that those skilled in the art may make many modifications in the arrangement and mode of operation. Therefore, fI contemplate by. the 1 appended claim to Acover any such `modifications'as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

'A :drivemechanism for transmitting rotary and oscillatory motion to a driven shaft, comprising a firstY and second drive shaft, said second drive shaft having an*V axial bore therein for receiving said iirstdrive shaft, means for rotatably drivv ing said rstdrive shaft, means connected to said first drive shaft for driving said second shaft oslcillatably, a first clutch device secured to said first shaft and having a plurality of radial drive dogs .securedzto .one faceA thereof, Aa, secondclutchrdevice ysecured to said-'second shaft andy provided witha .passageway through which saidfirst shaft extendsand having av plurality of radialdrive dogs secured to one face thereof, a third clutch device `having a circumferential groove therearound and a Aplurality :of radial: drive Y dogsy secured to.-each face thereof, said third clutch device slidably `mounted on said-first `drive shaftbetween said `i'lrst `and second-.clutch devices, a shift lever `'mechanism engaging said thirdvclutch device in said circumferentialgroove andoperative to slide ysaidathird clutch device Aalong said iirstshaftselectively `to engage said yfirst clutch device orsaid second clutch device, and an inverted cupfshaped member extending concentrically around .said

first clutchdevice and secured to said thirdclutch device, said 'driven shaftpbeingsecured at one end .tosaid-inver'ted cupf-shaped member.

.GARNET WrRUSClOE.

REBER-ENOES CITED f VThe fol-lowing referencesare of record in the `iile of Ythis patent:

' UNITED STA-TES PATENTS Breckenridge etal. 'Aug..29, 1944 

